Zafina: The Jewel of Alisunda
by the13est
Summary: New Tekken 6 character 'Zafina' is the starring role in this epic journey of love, war and tradition. Read and Reply people.
1. Introduction

The skeleton hovered above the white mist and floated a while until gently breaking it's brittle structure and slowly dissolving into a ivory white sand. The image soon began to fade, reality closing in around her. Zafina felt a warm euphoria carress her soul as she slammed back into reality and through the corner of her eye saw the flicker of her candle light. The two American tourists sat in front of her in aguish.  
"So, what is it?" asked the plump American, his cheeks blothced blood red and his eyes puffy from the heat in the tent. Zafina's younger sister Amelle shuffled around in the back with pots and pans. Zafina sighed and eyed the man with great regret. The woman sat next to him seemed to be at bursting point with excitement, grinning from ear to ear and staring enthusiastically around at all the hanging trinkets and bottles of medicine.  
"The Skeleton - A symbolism of near and unfortunate death. The dreaded day is near. I cannot give you the exact day of your death and therefore no date of the day before, but on the morning of the penultimate twenty-four hours of your life, a sense of fear and utter despair will wash over you. This will be the defining moment when you realise your fate is close."  
The man's face dropped, as did the woman's grin.  
"The-The skeleton? DEATH? NONESENSE!!" shouted the man, his face pale with shock. Amelle scuttled in with her money box; "That'll be $12" she hissed.

"Dollars?" asked the woman, standing and gazing down at Zafina's 'crystal ball'.  
"We like to have an arangement of currency for our collection."  
"Well we don't have dollars with us ..."  
Amelle stepped forward and grasped the silver necklace dangling from her neck. "Then we'll take back our jewellry. Goodbye ..." she whispered as she coiled the piece of metal around her fingers and ushered the two Americans out of the tent. Zafina clasped her hands around her ball and carefully placed the shperical object into it's velvet box.

Amelle walked back in backwards as she watched the Americans fumble down the road in a rage towards their car. A few passers by looked from the tourists to the tent, at this point Amelle slammed the door shut and turned to Zafina. With short brown hair just licking the tips of Amelle's shoulders and golden studs dotting the eyebrows of her small and petite face, Amelle looked the sight of a stereotypical gypsy. Her eyes were water-melon green and her lips pursed, golden brown. She was a beauty for sure, but Zafina kept her by her side with suspision.  
"Did you really see the Skeleon?" Amelle asked, folding a piece of parchment and stuffing it into a drawer.   
"Maybe" replied Zafina, picking a mirror shard from the floor and wiping a little smudged eye liner from just under her olive eyes.  
"Why are you so cryptic all the time?" asked Amelle, sitting in the seat the American woman was previously sat minutes ago.  
"Why are you so nosey?" replied Zafina in a carm and intimidating tone. Standing from her seat, Zafina turned her back on Amelle and left the tent. Opening the door, sunlight poured onto Zafina's body. Wearing a piece of shimmering golden cloth around her upper half, revealing much of her robust pair of breasts and a skirt loosely pinned together, white and decorated with maroon lotus flowers, she looked like a goddess. Her oil black hair was glossy and fell all the way down to the small of her back. Men working on the buildings around stopped, some making gestures Zafina simply sniffed at. As Zafina shut the door behind her, she began to walk steadily down the street to a small stall selling what smelt like fresh chicken. As she approached the stall, the old lady poking the meat with a rusty looking fork gave her a wry smile and scanned her items of clothing.

"Finally, a woman." she rasped behind her meat.  
"I'd like an entire chicken please."  
"Untouched?"  
"I'll give cooking one from scracth a try" she answered. The woman rolled a few sheets of grease proof paper off a nearby stand and bent down to pick a pink chicken with the feathred head still on up so she could wrap it up for Zafina. "What brings you to this here village? Been visiting this part for 43 years in the Autumn and it's always looked like it's seen better days. Wouldn't think a flower like you would want to wander around it?"  
"It's a passage to the Sphinx a few miles ahead, you know, where tourists like to visit. They usually see the signs on our carriage and come for a prediction. Buy some of our pieces of jewellry, stones, trinkets, anything we care to sell in our collections."  
"Anything worthy of an old dog like me?" chuckled the woman as she pushed a paper clip through the paper to hold the chicken in place.  
"I could bring the rack of ruby's over for you, a lady of any age always looks a picture with one of those"  
"I don't doubt you. But i don't have the money for a jug of milk a morning, never mind a ruby. Why you travelling in a bitty old thing like that anyhow? Them horses look a little scuffed. Look like a palace bird you do."  
"How much?" Zafina asked, ignoring the woman's flattery.

"2 Egyptian Pounds and i'll throw in some seasonings. Bit out of date mind, boosts the flavour."  
"2 Egyptian Pounds ... Forget the extras." replied Zafina, throwing a few bronze coins at the woman who failed in her attempt to catch them. Tucking the wrapped meat under her arm, Zafina headed back to her tent and carriage, scanning her horses as she went. The woman was right, her favourite horse, a black mare called Azula and Amelle's father's (whom died months ago), a stallion into his later and more than likely final years; Ben, looked hot, worn and exhausted. Both stood together touching noses and quivering in the hot breeze. The thought of staying around this village for the next few nights wasn't a very nice idea, but it was something Zafina knew she had to settle on.

Opening the door, the heat of the tent hit her as hard as it did when she left the connection with her crystal ball. Placing the chicken on the edge of a nearby table, Zafina looked around for Amelle.  
"Sister?" shouted Zafina, storming through the back of the tent into the clearance between the carriage and the edge of the tent opening. "Are you in the riding bay?" There was no reply. Turning around, the chicken slid off the table and fell out of it's packaging onto the floor of the tent.  
"Jesus" mumbled Zafina.

"Z! ZAFINA! Z! Z!" screamed Amelle, stumbling into the tent and slamming the wooden door shut behind her.  
"HE-HE" wheezed Amelle. Zafina stepped over to her sister as she trod on the chicken and whimpered at the grease now dripping from her foot.  
"Breathe Amelle, has one of the men outside hurt you?" she asked.  
"No, No. It's Sophia, she's here. She's found us. She's got soldiers Zafina ... TO KILL US!" screamed Amelle, clambering backwards and looking through the glass at the two approaching soldiers carrying swords.  
"I'll Lock up the tent and get in driving bay whilst you strap up the cabinets and furniture. As soon as you belt everything up,shout and i'll whip those steeds and get us the fuck out of here. I don't know how long those horses are going to last, but i'm not dying in this son of a btich village."

With that, Zafina snatched the tent key from the wall as Amelle scrambled for the belts swinging on the wall.


	2. Chapter 1: A Woman Scorned

**Chapter One: A Woman Scorned **

Sophia was a scorned woman. Long, shiny black hair tickling the frame of her shoulder bone, two glazed pearly eyes, a damaged upper lip so to reveal her white teeth and a scar like artwork on a blank canvas, strewn across the left hand side of her face and stretched all the way to her left breast. Her raspy voice, sharp looking canine teeth and finger-nails that would petrify the regular passer by, she resembled a scorn woman as much as she was one.

Brought up by a rich family in a mansion near the shore line of the Nile, Sophia was mainly of Greek origin. She had Egyptian in her, but had migrated over to Egypt due to a civil battle between her family and a neighbouring one. Escaping the trauma of having to watch her family be crippled by financial debts, crying over death threats; her grandmother had given her an escape route, a sanctuary in Egypt. 

Sitting in her upstairs bedroom, she watched with enthusiasm at the boats sailing ghostly up and down the mist of the Nile, some fishing, some travelling, others just floating with what seemed like no purpose but to decorate the surface of the river. With no television or internet access, watching the natural surroundings was her daily entertainment. It was whilst watching the Nile and drawing in her personal diary when she heard the blood curdling smash of glass and a shattering scream ripple through her house.

Jumping, Sophia dropped her fountain pen and watched it fall with a soft thud on the grass below. Sophia closed her diary and swung her legs around and off her window sofa, running to her door frame and listening carefully. Her mouth opened to shout her grandmother, but the long, creeping shadows projected against the wall said otherwise.

"I haven't been sent here to kill anyone, but i'm brave enough to brake the rules!" shouted a gruff voice from below. Suddenly, a hand snatched Sophia's arm and began pulling her across the corridor and towards the bathroom. It was her maid, Mrs. Hignokato (whom Sophia liked to call Higi for short). She was a plump mid thirties woman, who always wore the same apricot dress that hung just above her apple shaped knees and the same white apron that was tied tightly to secure an hourglass shape Sophia always associated with her.  
"In here" she licked, pulling Sophia behind her and locking the bathroom door shut.

"The Ashrahf family have gotten the entire river front on lockdown, there's no leaving the house unless discreetly. Your going to have to open the latch in the shower and climb down through the shaft into the cellar. In the cellar there's a pistol with around 10 bullets in, take it and grab one of the sharp garden tools. Climb out of the cellar onto the back garden, get on your bicycle and ride out of town through the backstreets. Go, GO!" whispered Higi heavily.  
"What's happening!?" spoke Sophia, tears welling up in her eyes. Pressing a sausage like finger to her lips, she bustled Sophi into the shower and opened the floor latch. A gust of cold air shot out at Sophia, looking down into the murky underground darkness, Sophia put one foot on the ladder and began to climb down, looking at a tearful Higi jumping at a sudden bang on the bathroom door.

The horses sped down the sandy plains at full throttle, the hot air blasting around Zafina and Amelle. Snatching the side mirror, Zafina turned the hanging shard and glanced at who was following them. Two black stallions each carrying a heafty looking soldier were drifting further away from the carriage.  
"They're retreating." she said flatly, looking ahead at what seemed like miles and miles of desert.  
"I heard crashing from the tent and carriage, what if some of the shelves and cupboards have come down?"  
"I'm more worried about how long this desert is going to last, these steeds are worn out."

CRASH.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" a screeching sound errupted suddenly. A long white blade struck the side of the riding bay and flints of wood scattered everywhere. Sophia was riding side by side against the carriage on her horse; an absolutely huge ginger mare with a black and white mane and one bloodshot eye (the horse almost symbolised Sophia's character). Zafina screamed and ducked yet another strike. Amelle screamed over and over again, looking around frantically wondering what to do. Suddenly, a pillar of smoke was rising into the sky, turning for a split second, Amelle screamed again. "THE WHOLE TENT IS ON FIRE!!!"

"What!?" screamed Zafina. Sophia began to laugh a raucous laughter. "Your dead bitch" she screamed, twisting her sword in her hand and getting into position for one more strike on the riding bay; which was now weakly connected to Zafina's carriage. One last swipe sent the riding bay tilting to the left and Ben's reign was released, sending him galloping away into the distance. Azula was pulled back, with a loud release of air from her mouth, she stumbled and landed on her back, breaking one of her hind legs. Amelle flew out of the carriage and rolled on the hot sand below, feet away from the burning wreck they a few minutes ago called home. Zafina leapt off the now on fire riding bay, which continued rolling for a while before crumbling to a dead heap. Sophia and her horse circled the two girls, then the soldiers who had previously slowed down had now caught up and one spat on the floor besides Amelle.

"Do that again and i'll slice out your tongue!" screamed Zafina, looking protectively over a squinting and panting Amelle.  
" ... AAAHAAAHAAAHAAAHAAA ..." cackled Sophia, stopping dead in her tracks and sliding snake like off her horse. Wearing what seemed like a light pink piece of armory around her chest and a small grey skirt on her bottom, Sophia's wild black hair emphasised her malicious appearence. The cackling continued until her two soldiers started to laugh. Suddenly, she stopped and stood close to Amelle. Resting a foot on Amelle's head, she viciously stamped Amelles' tear drenched face into the sand. With reluctant muffling, it only fuelled Sophia's laughter. As Zafina got up to move, Sophia raised her eyebrows and pointed her sword towards Amelle's neck.

"Poor, poor girls. Daddys rotting like raw egg and now your parading around Egypt like people care" she hissed, lifting her foot relieving Amelle from the lack of air. Gasing, Amelle sniffed mucus back into her nose and wiped sand that had stuck to her face, away.

"If your going to kill me, do it now and leave Amelle alone!" screamed Zafina, brushing the sand that had scattered across her maroon floral decorations on her skirt off her.

"WHY DONT YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE!?" squealed Amelle.  
"Your eyebrow jewellry is pretty, i might take them out for my wife" grumbled one of the soliders, bending to pull out Amelles golden studs. Just before she could scream and retaliate however, a fire engulfed arrow slammed with a squish into the soldiers head. A spurt of blood fountained out of his head and left a crimson marking on the previously golden sand. Stumbling back he coughed and a volume of blood soon began spilling from his mouth. As the line of bodily fluid dripped from his wound, the fire began to lick at his face and his eyes rolled into the back of his head before he fell stone dead on the ground. Breathing highly, Amelle began to whimper and looked around from where the arrow had come from.

The other soldier joined Amelle in whimpering whilst Sophia looked straight towards Zafina screamed with gritted teeth.  
"Wh-" an arrow landing inches away from Sophia. Another one, Sophia knocked off course with her sword. A third hit the remaining soldiers horse straight in the neck. Errupting with noise, the horse fell back and seemed to die instantly. Sophia looked around and leapt back on her horse. A flurry of arrows missing her as she spun around rapidly on her horse.  
"YOUR DEAD" Sophia screamed, whipping her horse and speeding away, leaving her soldier screaming for help as an arrow had journeyed it's way into his ankle.

"Who is that?" asked Zafina, pulling Amelle off the floor.  
"Zafina, lets get on Azula and GO!" shouted Amelle, looking nervously at the wailing soldier.  
"Azula's hurt ..." spoke Zafina, looking at her quiet horse curled on the sand with a quivering leg.  
One last arrow hit the sand yards away from Amelle, this one fireless and attatched with a note. Snatching the arrow from the floor, Zafina read: _2 o' clock_. Looking in the direction, she sore a horse coming down the desert leaving a whirlwind of sand spiralling without control behind it. Then, she made the outline of a young boy with a stack of arrows and a bow tied loosely on his back. Amelle and Zafina watched without a sound until the horse amd boy got closer and finally stopped.

"Amelle Hignokato?" asked the handsome young boy.  
"Yes?" answered a puzzled and nervous Amelle.  
"Prince Shaan at your service"  
"Huh?" stuttered Amelle.  
"King Oziah's son? ... That's Sophias brother ..." spoke Zafina softly.


End file.
